Contra Costa County is expanding vaccine eligibility to children ages 12-15 after the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommended Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for use in this younger age group. Previously, the Pfizer vaccine was only approved for people ages 16 and older.
Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for use by those who are ages 12-17. The other two COVID vaccines in the United States made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are still only available to people ages 18 and older.
The County has already begun working with the Contra Costa County Office of Education, local school districts and Kaiser Permanente to host vaccination clinics at various middle schools and high schools in the coming weeks.
Nearly 700,000 county residents ages 16+ have received at least one dose of vaccine already. About 65,000 residents in Contra Costa fall between ages 12-15.
Contra Costa County will provide a vaccine to any eligible person regardless of whether they are a county resident or not. No appointment is needed, although people can still schedule one if they prefer by going to covidvaccine.cchealth.org or by calling 833-829-2626. The state also offers appointments at myturn.ca.gov.
When coming to the County's vaccination clinics, it is recommended that minors be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If a parent or guardian cannot be present, the County will ask for written consent or, when that is not feasible, verbal consent over the phone may be accepted. A consent form can be found here.
View the full press release here.